Got onto a Reddit loop and noticed an older post of mine about Diaspora and open protocols.
http://decafbad.net/2011/02/08/the-diaspora-that-wasnt-and-the-way-into-the-walled-gardens/
The sad thing is we're still fighting the same battles of seven years ago, but I still believe that the open solutions will win out over time.
Maybe I'm a fool, but dammit if I still want to believe.